From claiming to have flattened the coronavirus curve in the beginning of May, to over 20,000 cases in Kerala by the end of July, the state has been seeing a continuous spike in COVID-19 cases. Speaking to NDTV over the current situation in Kerala, Health Minister KK Shailaja said, "While we did flatten the curve in May with repeated zero new cases, we were also expecting cases to spike eventually. We did our best to contain the spread but as inter-state movement increased, people started violating COVID-19 protocols after lockdown like avoiding inter-state passes, check-posts and even other guidelines - all crucial to contain COVID 19. Over 6 lakh people have returned to Kerala from other states, as well as foreign countries during the pandemic."